"Moving forward I will organize my coaching staff in a way where the assistant manager figure doesn't exist", Mourinho said. I would like to thank him for the opportunity and confidence, for the knowledge and experience, but most importantly for his friendship. The 24-year-old is widely reckoned as the one of the best performing right-backs over the past 24 months and United are supposedly keen on his signature after knowing of his relatively cheap £44m release clause.

Requested if this felt like the top of an period, Mourinho informed MUTV: 'Sure, however possibly in the future we're taking part in towards one another within the Premier League.

"I have a lot of memories to cherish, some I'll never forget, especially of this place".

The tweet read: "Carrick, wonderful person and sensational player".

Mourinho said on the United website: "17 years... in Leiria, Porto, London, Milan, Madrid, London again and Manchester".

And it was the former England midfielder who made the decisive contribution, his superb lifted throughball enabling Juan Mata to tee up Marcus Rashford to break the deadlock.